The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on March 5 that the Commission has issued strict instructions to the West Bengal bureaucracy to contain violence and ensure a level playing field during the Lok Sabha polls.
The CEC said adequate Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be available for deployment in West Bengal. Mr. Kumar said that CAPF would be jointly deployed by the nodal officer of the state police, the chief electoral officer and the central observer for the state and information on deployment of forces will be provided to all political parties.
Speaking to the media in Kolkata, the CEC said that the bureaucracy in the State has been fully sensitised to make sure that elections are “free and fair”.
Officials on notice
On previous failures to curtail violence during polls, the Chief Election Commissioner said, “Incidents will not be that widespread this time. If violence does happen to spread, then the district administration will take action. If they do not take action then we will make them take action,” Mr. Kumar said.
The CEC said that law enforcement agencies have been instructed to monitor both interstate and international borders to curb flow of inducements, especially drugs, gold, and counterfeit Indian currency.
“All enforcement agencies will coordinate closely and not operate in silos and will ensure not only violence free elections but also prevent any incident,” Mr. Kumar said.
The CEC said the electorate in West Bengal stands at 7.58 crore, including 3.85 crore male and 3.73 crore female voters, with around 15.25 lakh being first-time voters.
The electoral gender ratio in the state stood at an impressive 968 female voters for every 1000 male counterparts with 90 assembly seats having a gender ratio of over 1000. The full bench of the Election Commission has been in Kolkata for two days and held meetings with political parties and officials of the State government.
Mr. Kumar said that the Commission has taken steps to prevent spread of fake news, including an integrated mechanism system and a toll-free number to register complaints. The CEC said state and district administrations should ensure transparency while granting permissions to parties to use campaign spaces. These should be allotted on a “first-come-first-served” basis. Mr. Kumar added that no civilian volunteers or contractual staff should be assigned election duties or tasked with maintaining law and order.
